Chapter 84: Chapter 78 Watching the Battle, Comprehending the Sword
The youth wielding an iron staff displayed a staff skill like a sweeping hurricane, with an endless sequence of attacks. Judging by the power of his staff skill, it could very well be a Yellow Class mid-tier martial skill.
Meanwhile, the girl holding a pair of swords, with her swords working in tandem, seemed to envelop the area like a range of mountains. No matter how the iron staff youth attacked, her coordinated swords blocked all his offensives.
Looking at the girl's sword techniques, her martial skill's grade was probably no less than that of the iron staff youth's.
The first pair to come out and fight showed considerable strength, which explained why they dared to challenge the ring first.
After watching the two of them fight for more than a hundred moves, Ye Chen on the main ring platform slowly nodded.
"This iron staff youth's staff skill shares some similarities with the first move of my 'Wind Sword Skills', 'Hurricane Frenzy.' However, his attacks are too aggressive, too fierce, lacking in leeway for countering..."
"My 'Wind Sword Skills,' being superior in the grade of cultivation technique to this staff skill, not only possess the ferocity of 'Hurricane Frenzy' but also have the gentle and unpredictable 'Thirteen Wind Strips,' along with various moves derived from the wind like 'Wind Spiral Kill' and 'Wind Strangle Kill'."
"Unconstrained by form, not limited to a single approach, the combination of different moves encompassing various attacking methods, allows one to freely apply them in combat, making it hard for the opponent to predict and defend."
Although the iron staff youth and the sword-wielding girl's martial skills seemed quite ordinary to Ye Chen, he was reflecting on the similarities and differences between their skills and his own, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of his abilities.
Gradually, Ye Chen wasn't just observing this one fight; he expanded his Divine Sense, covering all the battles happening on the ten major rings.
After cultivating the "Meridian Refining Art" and "Gang Yuan Mantra" from the Primordial Star Scripture, Ye Chen's control over his surroundings had reached a radius of several hundred meters. He could discern every move and style of attack in the battles taking place on the ten major rings.
Gradually, Ye Chen truly began to enter a marvelous state of combat observation and sword enlightenment.
Observing combat, contemplating all the fights in the ten major Combat Zones.
In each Combat Zone, the nine sub-rings engaged in combat, adding up to a total of thirty-six bouts.
The ten major Combat Zones amounted to three hundred and sixty fights!
Those who had advanced from over eight hundred competitors in the first round of the tri-tribe competition to the top hundred were no ordinary youths, each possessing their unique martial skill.
These martial skills might not compare to the Mysterious Class martial skills Ye Chen had practiced, but the richness of martial skills contained within these three hundred and sixty fights far exceeded the total of all the cultivation techniques he had learned before.
Ye Chen was as if watching ninety sub-rings demonstrate various martial skills and attack and defense strategies to him.
This extensive study of martial skills gave Ye Chen an even deeper understanding of his own abilities.
Observing combat! Understanding swordsmanship!
Contemplating three hundred and sixty real battles!
Enlightening the swordsmanship in his heart!
Even more so, Ye Chen began to compare the various artistic conception moves of both Wind Sword Skills and Wind Movement Skills that he had seen Qian Jizi practicing in the Mirror Light Spirit Wall in the Thousand Lotus Cave Abode with these real fights.
He had begun to further his understanding of the two Mysterious Class lower-tier martial skills, "Wind Sword Skills" and "Wind Movement Skills," he had cultivated to Minor Accomplishment, and he started to touch upon the essence of these skills at the Great Accomplishment level!
While Ye Chen was engrossed in combat observation and sword enlightenment, most of the main contenders in the other nine major Combat Zones closed their eyes for cultivation, neglecting the battles in the sub-rings below.
In their minds, their strength was far greater than that of the sub-ring contenders below, and they held no regard for the martial skills in the sub-rings.
Cross-fertilizing ideas, there was always something to gain—they knew not.
Among three men walking, one can always find a teacher—they were unaware.
Even the most inferior Yellow Class martial skills have their merits, for they were after all martial skills!
Engrossed in their own cultivation, they were truly missing out on the enlightenment that came with comparing real combat!
Only a few, like Ye Chen, observed the battles below; however, they could not observe the fights across all ten major Combat Zones simultaneously like Ye Chen, who had cultivated the Primordial Star Scripture. At best they could only watch the battles within their own Combat Zone and perhaps the adjacent ones.
Their gains compared to Ye Chen's were significantly smaller.
The ten major Combat Zones and the ninety sub-rings plunged into combat, progressing towards the selection of the two strongest sub-ring competitors in every zone.
Atop the ten main rings, the main contenders were cultivating and observing.
As time passed, the outcomes of various bouts started to emerge, clarifying the respective strengths and weaknesses within each Combat Zone.
At this moment, in the first Combat Zone, on the primary ring, Ye Chen, having observed dozens of fights, truly entered an extremely mysterious state of sword enlightenment.
There he sat cross-legged upon the main ring, seemingly tranquil, but around him, the air began to pulsate crazily.
Around his body, a sweeping hurricane appeared one moment and then scattered gusts of gentle breeze the next.
In the end, there were even whirlwinds of storm, their spinning and twisting, their furious strikes, and raging whirlpools emerged wildly around Ye Chen's body!
Outside the Combat Ring, among the three tribal chiefs, Patriarch Ye focused his gaze on the various Combat Zones, and time and again on Ye Chen atop the primary ring.
Having learned of Ye Chen's immense strength from his parents, and that he had attracted the attention of Jia Luo, the strongest person from the thirty-six sects of the eastern region of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom, Patriarch Ye paid extremely close attention to Ye Chen.
Ye Chen's performance in the first round of 'Bell Snatching' further fueled his expectations.
Therefore, aside from Ye Chen's own parents and Tao'er, Patriarch Ye was one of the people who paid the most attention to Ye Chen.
When Ye Chen entered the miraculous state of combat observation and sword enlightenment, causing changes in the air around him, Patriarch Ye spotted the difference in Ye Chen right away.
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When Patriarch Ye saw Ye Chen sitting quietly in meditation and the air around his body changing wildly, even containing some of the marvelous charms of a Cultivation Technique, he widened his eyes, unblinkingly watching Ye Chen.
Ultimately, when the surging Wind's Concept around Ye Chen's body advanced towards the Great Accomplishment level of the "Wind Sword Skills" and "Wind Movement Skills," the mysterious martial skill moves contained within the Wind's Concept even caused Patriarch Ye's eyes to shine with an endless brilliance!
Patriarch Ye, a veteran powerhouse with twelve layers of True Qi, had an extraordinary wealth of experience and insight, and he immediately recognized the power of the Cultivation Technique that Ye Chen was comprehending!
"Yellow Class Cultivation Technique!"
"And it's a powerful Yellow Class Cultivation Technique that contains a terrifying artistic conception!"
"Ye Chen is comprehending a Cultivation Technique!"
It wasn't only Patriarch Ye who noticed the unusual activity around Ye Chen. In the second Combat Zone beside Ye Chen, a beautiful girl in bright yellow clothes, Bai Xiaodie, was one of the few main ringmasters also observing the battle on the stage.
Like Patriarch Ye, Bai Xiaodie also glanced over at Ye Chen from time to time.
Gradually, Bai Xiaodie also noticed the anomaly in the air surging around Ye Chen!
The young girl's rosy lips slowly parted in awe, and a look of amazement appeared on her face.
Having cultivated in the Great Sect "Peach Blossom Valley," her experiences were naturally out of the ordinary. Ye Chen's silent meditation and sword comprehension even gave Bai Xiaodie the feeling of watching a Spirit Sea Realm expert comprehending martial skill divine arts!
This was the feeling of true and profound comprehension, a sensation only true masters of martial skill comprehension could possess!
Bai Xiaodie could hardly believe that the young man beside her on the main ring platform had entered this wondrous state?!
Eventually, as Ye Chen gradually comprehended the eighth and even the ninth moves of "Wind Sword Skills," Swords of Wind Blade began to truly form around his body, spiraling and dancing in the air.
This was not the Wind Blade Swords controlled by the Wind Sword Intent. Ye Chen was now in a state of sword comprehension and had not used his Wind Sword Intent.
This astonishing phenomenon was due to Ye Chen touching upon the Great Accomplishment of Wind Sword Skills, causing the air to change and become like a sword wind!
This wonderful sight, these Swords of Wind Blade fluttering around Ye Chen's body, gradually attracted the attention of not only Patriarch Ye and Bai Xiaodie.
Observers in the first Combat Zone also gradually noticed the anomaly surrounding Ye Chen.
Although many of them couldn't tell what Ye Chen was doing, the magical Wind Blade Swords emanating from Ye Chen's body made them feel an inexplicable power, an inexplicable mystery!
Gradually, this attention spread from the first Combat Zone to the second and third Combat Zones.
More and more people noticed Ye Chen's divine marvel, noticed the difference in this extraordinary young man from the first round to the second.
In the end, even the three great patriarchs turned their eyes towards Ye Chen.
Aside from the few young contestants still competing on the main rings, the majority of gazes gradually converged upon Ye Chen.
As for Ye Chen, he cared nothing for all of this, indeed, he seemed utterly indifferent.
At this moment, his mind and spirit were completely empty. He no longer watched the battles on the sub-rings that were drawing to a close. He had completely immersed himself in the final push for the Great Accomplishment level of the two profound Yellow Class Cultivation Techniques!
After a long while, when eight out of the ten Combat Zones had determined their two main sub-rings, Ye Chen finally awoke from this wondrous state of meditative sword comprehension.
When he awoke, the Wind's Concept that had swirled around his body dissipated.
"Whew..."
Ye Chen exhaled deeply, revealing a smile.
This meditative state of sword-watching had yielded him immense gains, even surpassing his static meditations of the past several days!
For "Wind Sword Skills" and "Wind Movement Skills," he had even genuinely touched the threshold of Great Accomplishment.
He was just half a step away from cultivating these two techniques to Great Accomplishment!
He was just one true battle away from transforming all his meditative sword-watching insights into actual, unleashed moves!
The top ten selection battles, the ranking battles for the top ten, come forth!
Ye Chen stood up from his seated posture, eager to begin his battle, his own trial by combat!
When others saw Ye Chen revive from his silent meditation, emitting a refreshed aura, those who had been watching him sensed the change in Ye Chen.
If Ye Chen was previously like a sheathed sword, he now seemed to have drawn the blade, exuding the aura of a true swordsman ready for battle!
As these observers watched, the remaining two Combat Zones finished their sub-ring battles.
Finally, the last two Combat Zones selected their two strongest sub-rings.
Thus, the sub-ring battles for the Ancestral Land qualifications, which lasted nearly two hours, finally came to an end.
All twenty of the strongest sub-rings emerged, and together with Ye Chen, the main ringmaster, the thirty candidates entering the Ancestral Land were determined.
And with the end of the Ancestral Land qualification battles, the selection battles for the top ten, the challenge between the sub-rings and the main rings, were also about to begin.
For Ye Chen, his battle had at last arrived!
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